Apparatus for testing hair



July 11, 1933. c. NESSLER APPARATUS FOR TESTING- HAIR Filed May 13, 1929 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented July 11, 1933' UETED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES NESSLER, F PALISADES, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO'THE NESTLE-LE MUR COMPANY, OF NEVJ YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF OHIO APIIARATUS FOB resume HAIR Application filed May 13,

In the art of treating and permanent waving of hair and particularly growing hair on the head, by the application of hair-treating substance or lotion, i have heretofore dcvised certain improvements involving, among other things, testing a sample strand of the hair under treatment by stretching it, to thereby ascertain its capacity to stretch and also its capacity or ability to absorb liquid, which absorption I have discovered is correlated to stretch and concomitant therewith, so that one of hese manifestations or characteristics may he used for the other as a factor; and in some cases to examine and note the elasticity of the hair; also the process derived from the said hairtesting procedure, whereby different kinds of hair are graded in classes and the hairtreating substance is also graded in progressive degrees of strength in an equal number of cla es to that of the hair classc; and the st stance applied to the hair under d by me, namely, that hair the ru e dcv 'e having a hi capacity of stretch has at the same time a high absorptivity and requires the application of a weaker strength of the hair-treating substance than does hair having a low capacity of stretch and a conc mitant low degree of absorptivity; the said improvements forming the subjectsmatter of my copending application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 73.987. filed Dec. 4, 1925, and U. S. Patents No. 1,724,303, dated August 13, 1929, and No. 1,837,577, dated December 22, 1931, and of which said application and patents, the present application in part a continuation. In this art, my aforesaid improvements have proved in use a material and substantial .ieguard against the wrongful application to the hair of lotion of too great strength, as the strength of the lotion or treating sub- Silhltfl now regulated in aci'r'ordance with the hairs determined aliisorptivity, which may be reckoned from the hairs ability to stretch, the greater the stretch and hence absorptivity, the Weaker the lotion used thereon.

lVhile my said earlier improvements have gone into extensive use with satisfactory re- 1929. Serial No. 362,673.

manipulation on the part of the operator, and the (puck operation of which in making a test, automatically gives a direct reading or indication of the strength or grade of the hair-treating substance to be used in treating the hair undergoing the test.

The indicator giving the result of the op eration in my present construct-ion of machine, being calibrated and readable in direct terms of the series of different degrees of strength of the hair-treating substance or lotion, a single stretch-test of a sample strand of the hair will sufhce to directly inform the operator of the number or class of the hairtreating substance which should be used in treating or permanently waving the hair, although the stretchin may be repeated for another reading, if desired. Thus the operator is enabled to quickly obtain the information sought, without resorting to the steps'of deducing from the more indirect data obtained from the one or more stretching operations of my said prior machine. This novel character of calibration in terms of lotion strengths, can be made up or calculated with substantial accuracy from testing of the more tedious stretching operations furnished by my said prior machine, or any other suitable well known way may be adopted for making up this calibration.

In addition to these important advantages i possessed by my present machine, there are other advantages derived therefrom as will more fully appear from the detailed description hereinafter given.

, I have illustrated a type of my improved machine in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention, the righthand portion of the base and the movable weight being shown in vertical section and with the interior guide-member shown in full.

Figure 2 shows a perspective View of the upper end of the guidemember carrying the hair-strand gage for measuring the crosssection of the strand.

Figure 3 shows a side-elevation of the upper half of the guide-member, with the'upper end of the movable weight and its upright tube shown in vertical section; the dotted lines indicating the upper limit of movement of the weight and attached strand clamp and from which position the parts have descended under the stretching operation of the weight.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates an open-top cup-shaped base, circular in horizontal section and having rubber-padded feet 2, on which it stands. To the interior of the base is detachably secured the square-shaped guide-men'iber or post 3, by means of nut 4t, engaging the reduced end 5, of the post, said end passing through a hole in the base.

The streaching weight 6, is mounted to move up and down on the post 3, by means of a vertical passage 7, through which the post loosely passes. The weight is made of a heavy solid material, such as lead for example, weighs four-pounds in the present instance, and is encased in a metal jacket 8, giving it a certain finish and ornamental appearance, the weight being held in the casing by means of a ring 9, secured in the lower end of the casing or jacket. A boss 10, having a vertical opening registering with the passage 7, in the weight, is secured to the upper side of the weight and is provided with an upright tube 11, having a square bore fitting loosely over the post 3, on which the weight and tube may be freely reci 'irocated. The upper end of the tube 11, is indicated at 12, near which point it has fixed thereon a horizontally pointing index hand 13, which moves vertically with the weight and tube and cooperates with a graduated scale 1 1, secured to the lefthand side of the post, by means of screws 15; the upright tube 11, being cut-away on its side at 16, for about half its length to clear the scale 14.

At the upper end of the post 3, upon the front is mounted a hair-strand clamp 17., the inner part of which is fixed and has its outer face provided with two parallel ribs 18, which fit in corresponding grooves 19. on the inner face of the outer loose part 20. A pin 21. projecting from the inner part of the clamp, passes loosely through a hole 22, in the outer part 20, and a thumb-screw 23, extends through a. hole 24, in the outer part and is screwed into a threaded socket in the inner part of said clamp so as to bind the two clamp'parts together and secure the inter posed hair-strand 25, the ribs and grooves of the clamping parts afford a strong bite on the hair-strand. The clamp 17, is fixed to the post 3, by means of a screw 26, passing through the post from its rear side and screwing into the inner member of the clamp disposed on the front side of the post, as indicated in Fig. The upper limit of movement of the weight is defined by the clamp 17, against the under side of which the upper end of tube 11, strikes when the weight is lifted its full limit of upward movement.

Below the upper end of the tube 11, a second clamp is secured thereto and is similar in construction to the first mentioned clamp, having an inner part 27, mounted upon the front side of the tube and provided with ribs 28, fitting grooves 29, in the outer part and a guide-pin 31, on the fixed part passing through a hole in the outer part. A thumb-screw 33, is arranged to pass through a hole in the outer part and to screw into a threaded socket in the inner part and operates the same as the thumb screw of the other clamp.

Upon the rear side of the tube 11, back of clamp 2730, is mounted a bracket 34, by brazing or otherwise, and the inner part 27, of the clamp which is located upon the front side of the tube 11 is secured to the bracket by screws 35, as indicated in Fig. 3. Between a pair of ears 36, on the bracket, is pivoted a hand-operated trigger or latch 37, the inncr end of which passes through a hole 38, in the tube 11, so as to engage the rear face of the post and to take into a notch 39, in he post, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3. The trigger serves to lock the weight on the post at the upper limit of travel of the weight and which position is shown in Fig. 1.

The trigger 37, normally tends to gravitate into locked position and may be released by lifting its outer end with the finger. whereupon the weight is free to descend in its strand-stretching action by exerting its tensile pull upon the contained hair-strand The parts are so related that when the weight is lifted by hand to its upper limit of movement and released, the trigger acts to lock the weight in such position with the movable lower clamp 27-30, disposed a distance below the upper fixed clamp 17, equal to the expanse or portion of the hairstrand which is to be subjected to the stretching operation, the length of which in the present construction is two-inches and which is the given amount of hair-strand length here adopted for tests made by the machine, though of course a different given length may be used, if preferred. An air-vent 40, is provided in the bottom of the cup-shaped base 1, to prevent pocketing the air below the descending weight. While I do not show means for automatically checking the quick descent of lUii ' any,

the weight to avoid a sudden jerk on the hairstrand by the full force of the weight, any such means of well known form may be pro vidcd to accomplish this. In practice, I simplify the structure by placing the hand over the upper edge of the base 1, in engagement with the weight so that when the weight is freed from its lock, a restraint is placed on the descending weight by the hand and in this way its descent is slowed up as desired by the operator.

In order to keep the weight from tipping out of the vertical. in its descent, I dispose the post 8, slightly off center with respect to the cylindrical base, and also position the passage 7 ecccntrically in the weight, likewise the tube 11, so that the verticalaxis of the cylindrical weight lies between the vertical axis of post 3, and that of the hair-strand 25, in the cl amps. This gives a balanced action and keeps the weight plumb, as will be understood from Fig. 3.

The lotion-strength indicating means comprises a scale 14, having progressively decreasing graduations from that of the high strength 10, to that of the low strength 1, and which graduations correspond to the ten grades of strength of the hair-treating substance or lotion and the ten classes of hair, heretofore adopted by me as above stated. This character of calibration may be composed by use of my more elaborate of stretch and absorptivity, by taking a given head of hair and thoroughly testing sample strands thereof on the old machine and thereby ascertaining by deduction its stretch and absorptivity grade or class, and then taking fresh sample strands in the new mach ne, vith the gra(lescale blank. The result ascertained on the new machine may then be marked on the blank scale and such mark or graduation then given the number of lotion or hair treating substance determined by deduction from said prior machine. By repeating this work with a sutlicient number of different heads of hair to secure the adopted ten classes, the grade scale may then be completed so that it is permanent and the readings therefrom will directly provide the final results sought. In thus deriving tne new calibration from the operation of my said prior machine, the same given factors are employed, that is to the same cross-section of hair-strand, the same given length of strand is exposed to the stretching, the same given amount of tensile pull is applied for the same period of time and the strand. is kept wet during the stretching period. I

The means for timing the period for ap.-

he same head of hair and stretching them bulb passing into the lower in sixty-seconds time. This glass is mounted in a metal holder 42, which is pivoted at its center at 48, on a projection 44, fixed by soldering or otherwise to the side of the tube 11, and the glass may be rotated-by hand through three-hundred and sixty degrees in either direction, so that it may be readily turned up-side down whenaminutes time is tobe tallied. The operation of the minute glass may be automatically effected through operative connections with the hand-trigger 37, so that simultaneously with the release of the weight, the glass may be turned end for end and the time begin to run.

In order to invariably obtain a definite cross-section of, the hair-strand to be tested, I provide a gage device comprising a notch 45,111 the upper edge of the cross-bar 46, which notch is 1/64 of an inch wide and 3/64 deep. Cooperating with this notch is a sliding pointed finger or divided 47, which may he slid to and fro across the notch flush with its mouth, and the sliding divider is provided with a handle 49, and is held in operative position by a guide 48, on the bar 46. In measuring the hair strand to be tested, an oversized strand is pressed sidewise into the gage-notch and drawn down tightly to crowd the hairs in packed formation therein. Then the divider is slid across the notch'and serves to pick off and remove all surplus hairs and leave the gaged strand properly sized in the notch. This is important, as two or three hairs less would affect the character of the subsequent stretching operation.

The gage-notch bar 46, is set in a fork 50, formed in the upper end of the post 3, and is held fixed therein by the same screw 26, which passes through the post and also the bar 46, and into the fixed part of the upper clamp 17, as hereinbefore described.

After being thus gaged to the size which I have preferably adopted, viz: 1/64 of an inch by 3/64 in cross-section, the strand is removed from the gage ready for the stretching test. p a

In making a stretch test, the weight is first lifted by hand to the upper limit of movement, whereupon the gravity-trigger 37, automatically locks it in such raised position.

In obtaining the sample strand of hair from a given head of hair,the strand should be about four-inches long to allow for short and lose hairs, which after cutting may be removed by stroking the strand with the fingers. After measuring the strand in the gage, the strand is then dipped in an alkaline solution for at least ten-seconds so as to soften all the hairs. Then the wetted strand is secured near one end in the upper-clamp, and while its other end is free it is twisted on its length once or twice in rope-like fashion to ensure universal gripping of all the hairs. The strand is then drawn taut and secured in the lower clamp, thus leaving a length of about two-inches exposed between the two clamps for the stretching operation by the weight. Then the weight is released and is preferably held in one hand to cause a gradual descent and prevent a sudden drop which might rupture some kinds of hair. At the same time, the minute-glass is turned into action and the weight descends for sixty-seconds, as timed by the glass in the pulling action upon the strand. At the end of this time, the reading on the indicator is taken and the weight lifted by hand and automatically locked in its upper position. Assuming that the weight during this time has descended the distance shown in full-lines in Fig. 3, the reading on the indicator would be about 7, which would call for hair-treating substance or lotion having the grade strength of 77!- After the hair strand is stretched and the weight lifted so as to release. the strand from pull, any slackness in the hair strand should be noted as slackness indicates that the hair has been weakened previously in some way,

tion or solution and both the solution and hair may be cold or may be heated. I prefer to have both cold for the test and there may be used for wetting the hair strand any of the well known alkaline solutions now in use for waving the hair. I have found in practice that a suitable solution in which the hair may be immersed before stretching consists in oieic acid. caustic soda and water in approximately the following proportions; viz: 20 grams of oleic acid U. S. R; 13 grams of caustic soda U. S. P.; 2000 cubic centimeters of water; the solution having a total alkalinity equivalent to approximately 3.4 cc. of normal acid.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that my invention is not limited to the particular construction of the various different parts thereof, as it is manifest that modifications may be made in the different parts thereof, without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is: I

1. In apparatus for determining substantially the strength of hair-treating substance to be applied to a given head of hair in the process of permanently waving it, a movable weight for exerting tensile force in a stretching operation on a hair-strand placed in said apparatus, a guide for said weight, a pair of clamps one of which is stationary with respect to said weight and the other is connected with and acted upon by said weight and moves in response to its movements, said clamps being normally positioned a given distance apart for receiving and holding between them a given length of a sample strand of the hair to be stretched, a scale stationary with respect to said. movable clamp and calibrated to indicate a series of predetermined strengths or grades of hair-treating substance in degrees decreasing in strength, an index device cooperating with said scale and connected with said movable clamp, the said weight when free to descend serving to stretch the given length of the hair-strand and the result of said stretch for a given period of time being shown on said scale by said index-device indicating thereon a certain one of said grades of the hair-treating substance.

2. In apparatus for stretching a strand of hair, a weight provided with guiding means and adapted to be moved to and fro thereon,

an upper clamp fixed on said weight guiding means, a lower clamp connected with and acted upon by said weight and moving in response to its movements, a stationary graduated scale, an index member fixed in relation to said lower clamp and moving therewith and cooperating with said scale, and manually operated locking means connected with said weight and engaging said weight guiding means for retaining the weight at its upper limit of movement.

3. In apparatus for stretching a strand of hair, a weight adapted to be moved to and fro, a post on which said weight is moved, an upper clamp fixed on said post, a lower clamp connected with and acted upon by said weight and moving in response to its movements, a graduated scale fixed on said post, an indexmember connected with said lower clamp and moving therewith and co-operating with said scale, and manually operated means for sustaining said weight normally at its upper limit of movement.

4. In apparatus for stretching a strand of hair to determine the strength of lotion to be applied in permanently waving a given head of air, a vertically movable weight of definite amount and having a vertical open ing therein, a tubular extension on the upper side of said weight concentric with said opening therein, a standard passing through said opening in the weight and thence through said tubular extension, a lower strand-holding clamp carried by said tube, an upper strand-holding clamp fixed on said standard, a graduated scale fixed in relation to said standard, said scale being calibrated to indicate progressively a series of certain different strengths of the lotion, an index member mounted in fixed relation with said lower clamp and cooperating with said scale to indicate thereon a certain strength of lotion.

5. In apparatus for stretching a strand of hair, a vertically movable weight for exerting tensile force in the stretching action, a cupshaped base open at the top in which said weight moves and of less height than the weight, a post mounted on said base and said weight mounted to move on said post, an upper clamp mounted on said post, a lower clamp connected with said weight and moving in response to its movements, a graduated scale fixed in relation to said upper clamp, an index-member cooperating with said scale and fixed in relation to said lower clamp and moving in response to its movements.

6. In apparatus for stretching a strand of hair, a post provided with a latch-receiving part, a weight provided with a vertical opening and having an upwardly extending tube attached thereto in axial alinement with said opening, said weight being mounted to move on said post which passes through said open ing and tube, an upper clamp fixed on said post, a bracket fixed on said tube, a latch mounted on said bracketand locking with said part on the post, a lower clamp mounted on said bracket, a graduated scale fixed 1n elation to said upper clamp, and an indexmember fixed in relation to said lower clamp and moving in response to the movements connected to said weight and moving in response to the movements thereof, a stationary strand-holding clamp cooperating with said movable clamp and the two said clamps being adapted to be positioned a given distance apart, a latch connected to said weight and moving therewith, the said weight guides,

being provided with means for receiving and locking said latch to hold said weight when it is raised a certainheight.

CHARLES NEssLER, 

